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#270 Mar. 2014 INSIDE: New Fiction Doctor Who/ Torchwood Guide & Art! 2014 N3F Officers The Springboard of Ideas David Speakman President TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 Original Fiction 1 Arabian Day Directorate 3 Editor’s Notes By Jeannie Warner George Phillies (Chair), 4 N3Forum (LoCs) 10 Fan List John Purcell— 4 Viewing Order Guide for the Ruth Davidson, Jon Swartz, New Doctor Who & Lloyd Penney—5 Patricia Williams, Torchwood 5 Comic Holly Wilson xkcd by David Speakman 13 Submission Guideline By Randall Munroe Treasurer 14 2014 Short Story Contest Rich Speakman —————————— Editorial Cabal —————————— EDITOR IN CHIEF David Speakman PAST-EDITOR ADVISORS Ruth Davidson Heath Row REVIEWS SECTION Heath Row, Editor PUBLISHER/DISTRIBUTOR David Speakman —————————— SUBMISSIONS All submissions are to be sent to the editorial cabal via email at: [email protected] unless otherwise noted. Tightbeam (Hyperspace Tightbeam), No. 270, March 2014, ISSN 2329-4809. Published by The National Fantasy Fan Federation. A one-year subscription is $18 in the United States and its possessions, payable in advance in U.S. funds. This issue was started February 15, 2014, and completed on June 6, 2014. The editor was David Speakman. The editor of the next issue is, again, David Speakman. Submissions may be emailed to him at [email protected] or via U.S. mail to: David Speakman, PO Box 1925, Mountain View CA 94042. All opinions herein are those of the writers and do not neces- sarily reflect the opinions of other members of N3F except as noted. Submission deadline for the next issue of Tightbeam is July 15, 2014. This non-commercial zine is published through volunteer effort. 2 Editor’s Notes ART CREDITS Doodles... David Speakman Mulling over this issue, I was Front Cover thinking about how fandom exists on many levels, from Missha Vara casual to life-defining. 2 Regardless of where your fandom lies on the spectrum, the was we express ourselves Alexander Safanov is of value. 5 Like the butterfly effect, a random comment, critique or full-on essay or work of fiction one of us creates can’t help Jonas De Ro but spark a reaction in another—whether it is firing up an 6, 8 imagination or firing up a lively debate about novel vs. the TV series based upon the novels. Paul Hanley That got me to thinking. I was suckered (willingly) into 10 watching YouTube videos about Zentangles—or free-from doodle art. I thought to myself that it looked too easy to pass up. So I tied my own. Shadow Pink Eight hours later—and I doodled myself a cover for Back Cover Tightbeam—which graces this issue. Our feature story of original fiction this month is from Jeannie Warner, is back with a new short yarn with a middle eastern fantasy bent. Closing out this issue is a list I created for a friend a while back. After hearing many rave reviews, he was inter- ested in watching Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torch- wood. And he knew the story lines for each show were inter- twined occasionally and wanted to watch them I the correct order so as to not miss anything. So, I complied a viewing order list. I think it does the job in allowing those new to the Doctor to get the full experi- ence while watching the show on Netflix or iTunes. I hope you agree. Cover Art: “Tighttangle” Keep getting your geek on, by David Speakman David Speakman COPYRIGHT NOTICE All material in this issue, unless expressly noted otherwise, is contributed for one-time use only in this publication in its various print and electronic forms. All other copyrights are retained by the contributor. Reproduction, distribution, or republication of any portion of this publication in any media is prohibited without express permission of the current (at time reproduction is to me made) president and directorate of N3F or the original copyright holder. 3 Letters of orum: Comment The following letters of comment are correspond- understand how you feel. For somebody like ences received for both N3F publications, Tightbeam me who does a zine as a means to keep in touch and TNFF, before October 16, 2013. All editing of with other fans, it does help to have a somewhat correspondence is kept to a minimum - limited chiefly steady schedule; a month or so off doesn't hurt to the insertion of name callouts to alert readers to the continuity too much, but I get where you're whom a section of the letter is addressed. Please email comments to: coming from. Good luck with your efforts to [email protected] get the zine back on track. Janet Phalen's poem "Ten" on page 7 was nice, as was its accompanying illustration. Sci- 2014.03.15 ence Fiction poetry is deucedly hard to write: I John Purcell have tried it, think I've come close to writing [email protected] good ones, but as with fiction, the problems are consistency, message and tone. Word choice is Here is a brief loc mostly to let you know a biggie, and for me, that's part of the enjoy- that whenever an issue of Tightbeam is posted ment I get out of writing poetry. Well done, to efanzines.com, I take the time to read it. Janet. Also, this time around there are a couple items The Flash Fiction was alright. What was the I'd like to say about the zine. So let's dive on in original spark for the story, David? Seeing a and see what can be found. "road construction" sign on the road or in the Hey, I like Hanie Mohd's cover art. Very newspaper? Sometimes just a random thought nicely done, in its Manga-way: colorful and gives me an idea for a story, so I'm curious. My fun. In fact, all of the interior illustrations are problem is that I have so many ideas but not quite good to go along with the clean layout. I enough time to turn them into completed sto- have long felt that the visual appeal of a fanzine ries. Some year... is just as important as its content. Back in the My wife and I have enjoyed watch- day the Masters of the Mimeograph produced ing Dracula this year, and are pleased that it some incredible looking fanzines; then when was renewed for a second season. We like this some fans went letterpress and moved into semi particular version, especially the small Steam- -professional mode - Locus, Algol, Nickelode- punk elements that creep in every now and on, and others of that ilk - the zines became then. Other shows we like slick magazines. Nowadays the east of desktop are Grimm and Almost Human, and publishing and the Internet make it possible for once Defiance and Warehouse 13 return - sadly, fans to create very nice fanzines. Some of my the latter for its last season - we'll be sitting current favorites are Beam, Chunga, pretty good. Right now there is a lot of good SF and Exhibition Hall, but there are still some & F on television with a broad variety from excellent print zines with top-flight production straight fantasy (Lost Girl, Supernatural) to values. So all this is my way of saying that historical fantasy (Reign) to comic book heroes Tightbeam is looking really good, and you folks (Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Arrow, and the should keep up the good work. forthcoming The Flash) to straight science fic- I wouldn't worry too much about meeting tion like Defiance. If a person is a media fan, fanzine deadlines, although an organization like this is a good time to be one. the N3F has a set publication schedule in- Well, I think that will be good for now. grained into the club's constitution, so I can Many thanks for posting, and I look forward to 4 xkcd Randall Munroe seeing more zines coming from the N3F. a viewing marathon that took us through the five seasons of the show, plus all the assort- 2014.03.15 ed movies and the spin-off series Crusade, John Purcell which lasted only a year. So, just about any [email protected] series you might list is something that just hasn’t caught my interest. It’s me, it’s not the I haven’t had much time to write locs be- quality of the television work, I’m sure of it, cause of the never-ending job hunt, but here but in this era where the most popular tropes comes some commentary anyway, on include zombies and vampires, there isn’t Tightbeam 269. Let’s see what I can say. enough there for me. I have been reading online about two programmes that are up- A great cover! Well done, and I’d be interest- coming and being planned, Lantern City and ed in hearing the story behind it, in more Space Command, by Bruce Boxleitner and ways than one. Hanie Mohd? Tell me more… Marc Scott Zicree respectively. I hope to see great things there. David, looks like you’ve had to deal with what I’ve had to. Every so often, life rears up and Done for the moment, I am so far behind with kicks you someplace tender, and all your my fanzinish correspondence! I will be trying wishing and hard work won’t fix things. I’ve to get caught up, and this is the first step. had a great interview recently, and I am pray- Take care, and see you with the next issue.